James Lawrence McCullin Jr ★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from Missouri
On July 2, 1943 Second Lieutenant McCullin was declared a casualty of World War II. ★ He served with honor in the United States Army Air Forces. ★ He is remembered by the people of Missouri. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of James Lawrence McCullin Jr is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2023-06-12 03:23:18.
Missing : Core Data
· Date of tour or service
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Birth + childhood location· Marriage history
· Parents, family history
· Expanded references and citations
Service Details
| This Profile ID | 70125 |
| Service ID | O-792422 |
| Name | James Lawrence McCullin Jr |
| From | St Louis, St Louis County, Missouri |
| Birth Date | November 25, 1918 |
| Casualty Date | July 2, 1943 |
| War | World War II |
| Service Branch | Army Air Forces |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Specialty | Pilot |
| Unit/Group | 332nd Fighter Group, 99th Fighter Squadron |
| Casualty Type | Missing in Action |
| Location | Adriatic Sea, Coast of Sicily |
| Burial | Tablets of the Missing at North Africa American Cemetery, Carthage, Tunisia |
| Notable Awards |
★ Air Medal
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered | 
James Lawrence McCullin Jr is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at North Africa American Cemetery, Carthage, Tunisia. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. |
Additional Details
James Lawrence McCullin Jr was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. On July 2, 1943 he was escorting B-25's on a mission to Sicily. Unfortunately he and fellow pilot Sherman Windham White Jr failed to return to base. It was supposed they were shot down by enemy fighters over Sicily but no crash sites were found. They were the first Tuskegee Airmen killed in action. He was officially declared dead July 3, 1944. His remains were not recoveredMcCullin was a student at Kentucky State University when he learned about the black fighter squadrons being trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Ala. He was among nine men to graduate from flight training on Sept. 6, 1942. Nine days later, the 99th Fighter Squadron was declared combat-ready, although the group would not be deployed until April 1943. The squadron, and McCullin, arrived in North Africa on April 24 and began preparing for combat. The missions were varied; some were to bomb gun positions on Pantelleria Island, others to serve as escorts for A-20s and B-25s. On the morning of July 2, McCullin and White were part of an escort for a dozen B-25 bombers. Near the coast of Sicily, German fighters swarmed to attack the bombers. Lt. Charles B. Hall shot down a Focke-Wulf 190, the first enemy fighter downed by a black pilot. But when the fighters returned to base, McCullin and White were missing. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Air Medal
★ Purple Heart
★ United States Aviator Badge Army
★ World War II Victory Medal
★ American Campaign Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Army Good Conduct Medal
★ European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign
Notable Reference Sources
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.Missouri Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Missouri who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▼ Missouri was home to over 9,853 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 2,885 World War I
• 4,591 World War II
• 962 Korean War
• 1,414 Vietnam War
• 286 Prisoners of war
• 2,564 Missing in action
• 105 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 77 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 10 Medal of Honor recipients
• 4,591 World War II
• 962 Korean War
• 1,414 Vietnam War
• 286 Prisoners of war
• 2,564 Missing in action
• 105 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 77 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 10 Medal of Honor recipients
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